I wanted to take Armour, but the doctor said Nature Throid was better because it has T1234. Since taking it, I feel better but am still tired most afternoons. She prescribed Cytomel 5 mgs for the afternoon, but It doesn't seem to be working. So I'm thinking since I feel so perky in the morning, maybe I should take a little more Nature Throid in the afternoon, say a half dose. What do you think?

Armour also contains the same as Nature Throid but Nature Throid is hypoallergenic. All NDTs contain all the hormones our healthy gland would produce.

When we take NDT, you begin on a dose and then increase slightly every 2 weeks till your symptoms are alleviated. I've always taken one single dose of any combination/hormone. First I don't have to find a 'window' where stomach is completely empty and secondly it suits me best and when first beginning its easier to 'feel' you're taking a bit too much hormones and to drop back to the previous dose.

The following is the advice of a scientists/doctor (now deceased) who ran Thyroidscience, Fibromyalgia Research Foundation and Drlowe.com. Go to the date January 30, 2002 and June 11, 2002 on this link:

Thank you Shaws, I'll try taking 1/4th a pill more in the morning and see how it works out. After taking 1/2 a pill in the afternoon I suddenly have very itchy places at different sights on my body. I think I'm taking too much. I appreciate your help.

Mary, at the bottom of your post is a little arrow. Click on it and it will give you the option to 'edit'. Click on 'edit', and you will see the various areas of your post. At the bottom of the photo is a button marked 'remove photo'. Click on that, and the photo will go.

So, how much Nature Throid are you taking? And how long have you been on that dose? It might just be time to increase your dose of Nature Throid, by a 1/4 tab, rather than add in 5 mcgs Cytomel. Which just about doubles your dose of T3, and might be too much for you in one go.

Your doctor really doesn't know very much about treating thyroid, does she - although she's at least willing to try! So, best to check on everything she tells you for yourself.

I'm taking 97.5. No I don't think she knows what she's doing, and there is very little follow up, and lots of mistakes. Yes, she is willing to try different things while I'm in front of her. Any way the Nature thyroid is helping, but the cytomel doesn't seem to be doing anything. I take a pill 5 mg and go to sleep for an hour. It doesn't keep me awake at night either. Since I feel so good in the morning, I'll try an extra quarter of a pill at the same time and see what happens. I've been taking the Nature thyroid for over 6 months.

97.5... That's one and a half grains? We usually talk about NDT in grains. Every body knows what that means. Whereas 97.5... you have to stop and think. And I think the cytomel is 5 mcg. 5 mg would be a huge dose!

One and a half grains for 6 months and you still have symptoms? It most certainly is time to increase your dose. But, when you say the cytomel isn't working, what exactly do you mean? What do you expect it to do? You say you take it and then have an hour's sleep. If you don't want to have that sleep, maybe you should take it an hour before the time you usually sleep. T3 isn't instant action. It needs time to be absorbed.

There's no reason why cytomel would keep you awake at night. I take my T3 just before I turn the lights out - all 75 mcg of it - and I sleep like a log. I think you just need to go up to 2 grains of Nature Throid, and hold it for 6 weeks, then test.

Here in the US they say mgs rather than grains. Last year when I was on Synthroid 100 mgs and cytomel 5 mgs in the morning and 5 mgs in the afternoon. I read that cytomel only stays in your system for about 4 hours. That's why I took a double dose. I didn't need that afternoon nap, and felt pretty good. The GP I was seeing said if I continued doing this my thyroid would completely stop working, as the pill was doing the job the thyroid was suppose to do.

New doctor in different state wrote me a prescription for Nature throid and cytomel. Now the Cytomel doesn't seem to be working, as I need the afternoon nap, have very fuzzy thinking and have no stamina. Plus the weight thing is very upsetting.

I will take the additional 1/4 mg and stop taking cytomel and see if anything changes.

I think you just had a reduction, in dose, that's all. It's not that the Cytomel isn't working, just that there's not enough of it. Keep the afternoon cytomel, but increase the NDT. Just take the cytomel a bit earlier, to stop that afternoon slump.

As for your doctor, she's being very silly! Yes, of course, you gland will stop making hormone. But so what. If you're taking thyroid hormone replacement, you don't need your gland to make it. However, if for some reason, you were unable to get your hands on your thyroid hormone replacement, the gland would start working again. It's not a permanent shut-down. And, it really doesn't matter if you feel well.